Landlord help

Quick references for the bits of UK lets law that catch people out.

EPC — Energy Performance Certificate

You can't let a property in England with an EPC below E (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards). Government plans to push this to C for new tenancies from 2028 — budget accordingly if your property is currently D.
EPCs are valid for 10 years. Re-do if you refurb significantly.
You can market for up to 30 dayswith an EPC in progress — tick the “EPC being completed” box on the listing form so the tenant sees the status.
Common exemptions (listed buildings, all-improvements-attempted) must be registered on the PRS exemptions register before letting.

Tenant Fees Act 2019: max 5 weeks' rent deposit if annual rent < £50,000, or 6 weeks' rentif ≥ £50,000. homedrops caps the tenancy deposit field at the legal max for you.
You must protect the deposit with DPS, TDS or mydeposits within 30 days of receipt and serve the prescribed information on the tenant. Pick your scheme in the listing form — the tenant sees it on the listing + APT.
No deposit scheme registered = the tenant can claim up to 3× the deposit, and you can be blocked from recovering possession. Don't skip this step.

Awaab's Law (in force from 2026) requires landlords to investigate hazards within 14 days of being notified and to begin repairs within a further 7 days. Damp and mould get the shortest clock.
Failing to act doesn't just give the tenant a claim — local authorities can issue an improvement notice + civil penalty up to £30,000.
Document everything: timestamped photos, contractor visits, what the tenant was told. If a dispute reaches court, evidence wins.

You must check that every adult who will live in the property has the right to rent in England (Immigration Act 2014). British/Irish citizens = passport. Settled / pre-settled / visa = Home Office share code, or BRP.
Run the check via gov.uk/landlord-immigration-check for share codes. Keep a record of the result for the tenancy + 12 months after.
Civil penalty up to £20,000 per adultif you let to someone without the right to rent and didn't check. homedrops gates move-in monies behind your tick to make sure the check happens.

Annual CP12 from a Gas Safe-registered engineerif there's any gas appliance. New tenants must get a copy before move-in.
No CP12 = criminal offence, civil penalty, and personal liability if something goes wrong. This is the easiest one to forget — set a calendar reminder a month before expiry.
Book a visit via the “Book GasPro” CTA on the property's compliance vault.

EICR every 5 years, by a competent electrician (NICEIC, NAPIT, etc.). Tenant gets a copy within 28 days of issue or before move-in.
Any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) findings must be fixed within 28 days or sooner if specified.
Book a visit via the “Book Certify” CTA on the property's compliance vault.

No more fixed-term tenancies. Every new tenancy is periodic from day one. The old 6/12-month AST is gone for new lets.
Section 21 abolished. Possession is via a strengthened Section 8 with new mandatory grounds (sale, owner move-in, persistent arrears) and longer notice.
Rent rises: max one increase per 12 months, and only via the statutory route — no in-tenancy negotiated rises baked into the APT.
Blanket bans on benefits, children and pets are unlawful; homedrops builds these prompts into the listing form.

Why this exists: since 14 May 2025, UK financial sanctions rules apply to everytenancy — there is no minimum rent. Before a property is let, the people letting it must be checked against the official UK sanctions list. It's a list of people and companies the UK government says you can't do business with.
Who gets checked: you (the account holder) and everyone on the property's title — including a spouse or family member who co-owns but will only ever sign documents by a link. If a company or trust is on the title, declare the entity name and the people behind it.
Who runs the check:our KYC team — never you. You provide each person's legal name and date of birth; we screen them and confirm. The date of birth just tells your “John Smith” apart from any other on the list. Checks don't touch credit scores and aren't visible to tenants.
“With the KYC team”means the details are queued for screening. You'll get an email when everyone is confirmed — usually quickly — and the listing can then go live.
If something is flagged:it's usually a name coincidence. The listing is held while we review manually and we'll contact you. A flag is not an accusation.
High-value lets: if any rent exceeds roughly €10,000/month (≈ £8,500), UK Money Laundering Regulations also require full customer due diligence on that tenancy — homedrops flags those automatically from your AML answer at setup.

National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) — guidance, helpline, members' templates.
Property Ombudsman (TPO) — free dispute resolution if a tenant complains.
Your local council's housing standards team — call before they call you.
A solicitor — for anything contentious, this is cheaper than getting it wrong.